{"id":489349,"date":"2026-01-03T11:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T11:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/489349\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T11:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T11:47:10","slug":"here-are-the-phillies-options-to-better-protect-bryce-harper-in-the-lineup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/489349\/","title":{"rendered":"Here are the Phillies\u2019 options to better protect Bryce Harper in the lineup"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe Bryce Harper<\/a> is still ticked off. Maybe, even after his air-clearing with Dave Dombrowski<\/a>, he implanted a chip on his shoulder. Maybe he\u2019s just trying to sell T-shirts.<\/p>\n

Either way, he got our attention.<\/p>\n

As usual.<\/p>\n

In case you missed it, because the holidays can be hectic, the Face of the Phillies<\/a> posted a 101-second TikTok video in which he took seven swings while wearing a long-sleeve black shirt with two words \u2014 NOT ELITE \u2014 printed in all caps across the chest.<\/p>\n

Cue the social media buzz.<\/p>\n

Whatever the motivation, Harper\u2019s choice in workout wear was as intentional as his \u201cRivalry Pack\u201d cleats<\/a> or his color-coordinated arm sleeves. He rarely does or says anything without thinking it through. <\/p>\n

And if Dombrowski\u2019s candid assessment of Harper\u2019s 2025 \u2014 \u201cHe didn\u2019t have an elite season like he has had in the past,\u201d the Phillies\u2019 president of baseball operations said in October \u2014 rang in Harper\u2019s ears as he rang in the New Year, well, would it be so bad? The last time someone publicly slighted him, Harper homered twice and stared a hole through Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia<\/a> in Game 3 of the divisional series in 2023.<\/p>\n

Besides, Dombrowski wasn\u2019t wrong. Although he omitted the inflamed right wrist that sidelined Harper for a month and ate into his counting stats (e.g., homers, RBIs, walks), Harper lagged in other areas. <\/p>\n

To wit: Harper swung at 35.6% of pitches out of the strike zone, 129th among 144 qualified hitters, according to Statcast, and worse than the league average (28.4%) and his career mark (29.3%). If you\u2019re wondering why he faced a lower rate of strikes (43%) than any hitter in baseball last year, that\u2019s the biggest reason.<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: How can Bryce Harper have an \u2018elite\u2019 season in 2026? It starts with examining his atypical 2025.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cHe expanded a little bit more than we\u2019re accustomed to,\u201d hitting coach Kevin Long told Phillies Extra<\/a>, The Inquirer\u2019s baseball podcast. \u201cI don\u2019t know what his actual chase rate ended up being, but it was probably 35%. That\u2019s high. If he gets that number down to 32, just drop it 3%, now he\u2019s swinging at better pitches [and] he\u2019s going to do more damage.\u201d<\/p>\n

But while Harper must revert to better plate discipline, the Phillies could also stand to better protect him in the batting order. Manager Rob Thomson<\/a> is already scribbling possible lineups, crossing them out, and making new ones.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got some ideas, but I haven\u2019t talked to the players yet,\u201d he said last month. \u201cI don\u2019t want to talk much more about that. But, yeah, I\u2019ve thought long and hard about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of the way through the offseason, it\u2019s fair to wonder if Dombrowski has provided Thomson with better alternatives than he had last season. With five weeks until spring training, let\u2019s look at the options:<\/p>\n

Two weeks into last season, after Harper drew 10 walks in 12 games, Thomson moved Schwarber down in the order to bat third or fourth behind Harper.<\/p>\n

It stayed that way for 45 games.<\/p>\n

But Harper injured his wrist, and upon returning, Schwarber was firmly in the midst of a 56-homer season that resulted in a runner-up finish in the NL MVP race. Thomson left him in the No. 2 hole, one spot ahead of Harper.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchwarber is having, at that point, a career year, and I just didn\u2019t want to mess with it,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cAnd the fact that Harper was protecting Schwarber, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Bryce Harper plans to join Kyle Schwarber and play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Fair enough. And then there was this: Although Schwarber would seem to represent Secret Service-level protection, Harper saw even a lower rate of strikes (41.7%) while batting behind him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually gotten worse,\u201d Harper noted in May, \u201cwhich is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Long\u2019s theory: When it comes to superstar hitters, lineup protection doesn\u2019t matter much. In Harper\u2019s case, the numbers support that idea. He has seen only 42.7% of pitches in the zone in seven seasons with the Phillies and 42.1% since he arrived in the majors.<\/p>\n

Former Cubs manager Joe Maddon once walked Harper 13 times (four intentional) in 19 plate appearances over four games at Wrigley Field in 2016.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care where you hit [Shohei] Ohtani, I think they\u2019re going to pitch him the exact same way,\u201d Long said. \u201cThey\u2019re scared to death of him. I think Harper\u2019s in that category. You can kind of put him wherever you want, but I do not think pitchers are going to give in to him. I just don\u2019t. I think they\u2019re going to try to be very careful.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan we maybe help him out and put somebody [else] behind him? That may be part of the equation as well. But in Bryce\u2019s case, I think it\u2019s more, if this is where it\u2019s been the last six years since he\u2019s been here, then the onus falls on me to make sure that he\u2019s swinging at the right pitches and him to make sure that he\u2019s not expanding. No matter what, he has to control his at-bats.\u201d<\/p>\n

The path of least resistance is to put Schwarber back behind Harper, an alignment that Thomson is considering. Thomson prefers to alternate left- and right-handed hitters through the order. But Schwarber\u2019s success against lefties (.300 average in 2024; major-league-record 23 left-on-left homers in 2025) leaves Thomson comfortable with Harper and Schwarber back-to-back.<\/p>\n

It might be easier to protect Schwarber. He tends to be more disciplined than Harper (21.5% out-of-the-zone swing rate last season; 22.8% for his career). He strikes out more often than Harper but is less likely to get himself out in front of the Phillies\u2019 middle-of-the-order righty options, such as \u2026<\/p>\n

Alec Bohm<\/a> and Adolis Garc\u00eda<\/p>\n

In 2022, the Phillies threw $100 million at Nick Castellanos<\/a> to supply sock from the right side. Among 179 hitters with at least 1,500 plate appearances in the last four seasons, he ranked 87th in slugging (.426) and 172nd in wins above replacement (1.3).<\/p>\n

And now, he\u2019s about to disappear.<\/p>\n

Castellanos clashed with Thomson<\/a> and lost his everyday job last season. All parties agree that a change of scenery is best<\/a>. The Phillies will trade or release him, likely before spring training. Either way, they will pay all or most of his $20 million salary in the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Adolis Garc\u00eda could be a steal, or just another Nick Castellanos. Here\u2019s why the Phillies like the gamble.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

The Phillies already replaced Castellanos with free-agent right fielder Adolis Garc\u00eda<\/a>, a candidate to bat behind Harper if he hits like he did earlier in his career. From 2021 to \u201823, Garc\u00eda slugged .472 with 97 homers, tied for sixth among all right-handed hitters.<\/p>\n

But Garc\u00eda was available because of the last two seasons. He slugged .397 and hit 44 homers, tied for 28th among all right-handed hitters. His swing-and-miss rate soared. And he got non-tendered by the Rangers.<\/p>\n

Maybe Garc\u00eda can provide at least a $10 million value at a position that will cost the Phillies roughly $30 million. If so, he\u2019d be viable as right-handed protection for Harper in a batting order that would look something like this:<\/p>\n

Bohm emerged in 2023 as the Phillies\u2019 best protection for Harper. He excelled with runners in scoring position, often making teams pay for pitching around Harper, and drove in 97 runs in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and \u201824. He started the All-Star Game in 2024.<\/p>\n

The Phillies balked at trade offers for Bohm last offseason, with rival teams suggesting they overvalued<\/a> a player who hasn\u2019t hit more than 20 homers in a season. Then he got off to a brutally slow start<\/a>, prompting a move down in the order and the Harper\/Schwarber arrangement. Bohm dealt with injuries through the middle of the season and finished as a league-average hitter (102 OPS-plus). <\/p>\n

Is he primed to bounce back? Or is he who he is?<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s much closer to that type of [97-RBI] hitter than he was last year,\u201d Dombrowski said. \u201cAll of a sudden you put him, that same guy, fourth or fifth in your lineup, and I think that\u2019s a pretty good addition in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting creative<\/p>\n

After the All-Star break, nobody took more at-bats behind Harper than J.T. Realmuto<\/a>, mostly a function of Bohm\u2019s injuries and Castellanos\u2019 reduced role. But at times over the years, the iron-man catcher reliably protected Harper.<\/p>\n

Now, Realmuto and the Phillies are having a staring contest over variations of a multiyear contract, the free-agent catcher seeking a better combination of years and salary. There\u2019s still mutual interest in an agreement, according to major league sources. It remains likelier than not that they will come together.<\/p>\n

But what if they don\u2019t?<\/p>\n

The Phillies\u2019 contingency plan could set in motion several dominoes. First, they would pivot to a catcher, in free agency or a trade, to pair with Rafael March\u00e1n or Garrett Stubbs<\/a>. The new catcher would be a downgrade from Realmuto but also cost less than his catcher-record $23.1 million annual salary.<\/p>\n

The savings could then be applied to another area of the roster. Maybe an addition to the rotation \u2014 Ranger Su\u00e1rez<\/a> is still available \u2014 or the bullpen? <\/p>\n

Or, if Bohm had to be packaged for a catcher, the Phillies could take a run at a free agent, such as Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette, right-handed hitters with power who could slot in behind Harper.<\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: The Phillies are sticking with a veteran core in 2026. But this time the kids have to play too.<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

Maybe it will help restore Harper\u2019s elite status.<\/p>\n

It can\u2019t hurt. Take it from Maddon.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am about [lineup] protection, and I\u2019ll argue that with anybody,\u201d Maddon said. \u201cRegardless of what the stats indicate, if the number of balls out of the zone are the same, I still would put somebody back there [behind him] because I still believe it causes pause with how you\u2019re pitching. <\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe you say, \u2018If we walk him, we walk him.\u2019 There\u2019s that attitude, also. But if there\u2019s a guy behind him, I\u2019m telling you, you\u2019re not going to want to do it if there\u2019s a real guy.\u201d<\/p>\n